The present invention relates to a holding member for a security tag member for protecting a commodity product from theft, and a device including the tag holding member.
In recent years, security apparatuses using security tag members (hereinafter, simply called a tag member) detectable from outside are widely used for the purpose of protecting commodity products from theft. According to a conventional security apparatus, a tag member detectable from outside is attached, using a pressure sensitive adhesive sheet, to an opening and closing part on the outside of a packaging case containing a commodity product, and carrying out of the packaging case is detected by a detector comprising an electric or magnetic unit installed at an exit or the like of a store, thereby to prevent stealing of commodity products (for example, Japanese Utility Model No. 3041285).
As widely known, there are typical detectors constituted by the electric or magnetic units, that are of {circle around (1)} a magnetic type, {circle around (2)} a radio frequency type, and {circle around (3)} an acoustomagnetic type. In {circle around (1)} the magnetic type, amorphous metal is used as a material of the tag member, whereby the presence of the tag member is detected. Amorphous metal has a property of being very easily magnetized. When the amorphous metal enters a magnetic field made by an external detector or the like, it is influenced by an AC magnetic field so that the tag member itself is magnetized and generates electrical pulse with high directivity. When a receiving antenna of the detector senses a noise caused by this pulse, an alarm is generated.
In {circle around (2)} the radio frequency type, a tag member comprises an LC resonance circuit having a combination of inductors and capacitors. When the tag member enters an area between a transmitting and a receiving antennas of the detector, the tag member resonates and reradiates a radio wave with the same frequency. The reradiated radio wave is deviated in phase from the radio wave from the transmitting antenna of the detector, and therefore the detector senses this and generates an alarm.
In {circle around (3)} the acoustomagnetic type used is a tag member with a plurality of thin sheets of amorphous metal being arranged in parallel. The tag member receives a radio wave outputted by being switched on and off at very short intervals from the transmitting antenna of the detector, and resonates, and the tag member itself outputs a very weak radio wave. In this situation, the presence of the tag member is detected according to the attenuating radio wave outputted from the tag member even after the radio wave radiation from the transmitting antenna is stopped.
The tag members are attached to the packaging cases for most of the commodity products (such as DVD players) that are on sale while contained in packaging cases. Such cases are easily damaged during transportation. Accordingly, the tag members must be attached after the commodity products are delivered to retail stores.
Thus, a construction is proposed according to which the tag member is attached inside the packaging case. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing such mounting of a conventional tag member 32, and reference numeral 30 denotes a commodity product to be protected such as a DVD player. Reference numeral 31 denotes a cushion for protecting the commodity product 30 during transportation, a recessed portion is formed on a surface of an outer side of the cushion 31, and the tag member 32 is attached to this recessed portion. Reference numeral 33 denotes a packaging case for containing them. According to this construction, the tag member 32 is never damaged during transportation, and therefore the tag member 32 can be mounted at a manufacturing factory before transportation.
However, the above-described conventional construction has a problem that, irrespective of whether the tag member 32 is placed either outside or inside of the packaging case 33, if only the commodity product 30 is illegally taken out of the packaging case 33 with the cushion 31 being left, such illegal act cannot be detected.
The present invention has an object to solve the above conventional problem, by providing a tag holding member with a detectable structure even when a commodity product is taken out of a packaging case, and a device including the tag holding member.
In order to attain this object, the present invention provides a tag holding member including a holding part for guiding and holding a tag member detectable from outside, and an engaging part for engaging with a chassis of a device to be protected, in which a groove for holding a side face part of the chassis, and a projecting part for engaging in an opening provided in the side face part of the chassis are formed at the engaging part. According to the present invention, the holding part has a lid integrally formed therewith via a hinge, and engaging hooks for engaging with the lid, wherein the lid is openable and closable with respect to the holding part, and the engaging hooks hold the tag member in a closed state with the holding part and the lid. The present invention provides a device including a chassis having an opening for engaging with the projecting part in a side face part, and an outer cover having a side face part opposed to the side face part of the chassis. According to this construction, the holding member for holding the tag member is held at the side face part of the chassis, and is covered with the outer cover, and therefore the tag member is reliably held inside the commodity product to be detectable. Since the mounting of the holding member can be widely selected at both left and right side faces of the chassis, a security device easily placed to an effective detection position with high flexibility of design can be obtained. The present invention will be explained more specifically next.
The tag holding member of the present invention includes a holding part at an upper portion, for guiding and holding a tag member detectable from outside, and an engaging part in a lower portion, which is held at a device to be protected, and a groove for holding a side face part of a chassis of the device to be protected, and a projecting part for engaging in an opening provided in the side face part of the chassis are formed at the engaging part. According to this constitution, the tag holding member can be easily attached to the side face part of the chassis of the device to be protected.
The tag holding member of the present invention is characterized in that the holding part has a lid integrally formed therewith via a hinge, and engaging hooks for engaging with the lid, the lid being openable and closable with respect to the holding part, and the engaging hooks holding the tag member in a closed state with the holding part and the lid. According to the construction, a pressure sensitive adhesive sheet for mounting the tag member is not necessary, and the tag member can be held mechanically by the lid with reliability.
The engaging part is characterized by having a taper. According to this construction, mounting to the chassis is facilitated.
A device including the tag holding member according to the present invention is characterized by including a chassis having an opening for engaging with the projecting part of an engaging part in a side face part, and an outer cover having a side face part opposed to the side face part of the chassis, and characterized in that the engaging part is located between the side face part of the chassis and the side face part of the outer cover.
In the device, the holding part is provided at a higher position than an upper end of the side face part of the chassis. According to this construction, the distance from the metal outer cover can be set optionally, interference in the placement of the components on the chassis can be avoided, and a detection failure caused by the metal chassis itself can be avoided, thus facilitating the placement of the tag member at an effective detection position.
In the device, an engaging length in a direction of plate thickness of the chassis is formed to be longer than a clearance formed between an inner face of the outer cover and a back face of the engaging part. According to this construction, after the outer cover is mounted, the entire projecting part is not detached from the opening from the dimensional relationship with the aforementioned clearance, even if pressing force of the engaging part, which is elastically deformed, is small, and the engaging part can be reliably held at the chassis side face part.
In the device, the clearance between a back part of a rib of the lid and the inner face of the outer cover is formed to be in a sufficiently small size necessary to hold the lid. Closed engagement of the lid by the engaging hooks is backed up with this placement. As s result, the closed state of the lid is maintained by double steps of the engaging hooks and the small clearance, without using a pressure sensitive adhesive sheet, and the tag member is securely held at the holding part.
As explained thus far, according to the present invention, the holding member for holding the tag member is held inside the commodity product to be protected, and therefore even if only the commodity product to be protected is taken out of the packaging case, the commodity product to be protected can be detected, and protection effect of the commodity product can be enhanced. The mounting position of the holding member can be widely selected in the lengthwise direction of the chassis at both left and right side faces of the chassis, and therefore an excellent effect of realizing a security device with high flexibility of design, which facilitates placement to the effective detection position. The present invention can be made the pressure sensitive adhesive sheet for attaching the tag member unnecessary, and in this case, there is no fear of the tag member falling from the holding part, and the tag member can be held with more reliability. It is made possible to facilitate placement of the tag member to an effective detection position. It is also made possible to hold the holding member at the side face part of the chassis with reliability.